Chetamja: The King’s Eyes — Chapter 14

J-JINUNG...?

IS THAT... REALLY JINUNG?

TELL ME...

...HOW THIS HAPPENED.

IT'S MY FAULT, SIR... THE BARBARIANS SPOTTED ME AND AMBUSHED US.

BUT... SQUAD LEADER JINUNG BROUGHT DOWN DOZENS OF THEM.

THEN HOW DID HE AND THE REST OF THE SQUAD END UP DEAD?

WHAT HAPPENED BACK THERE?!

A BARBARIAN WHO WASN'T A PART OF THE GROUP LATER JOINED THE BATTLE...

JINUNG LIVED UP TO HIS NICKNAME...

...AND FOUGHT HIM LIKE A YACHA.

BUT A M-MONSTER...!

THAT BARBARIAN WAS A MONSTER!!

COUGH

TELL US. WHO WAS IT?

I DO NOT KNOW... SIR...

BUT...

...HE WAS HUGE...

...AND HAD HIS HAIR BRAIDED INTO THREE STRANDS...

HE'S... GONE.

I SEE...

SIR... COULD IT BE...?

IT'S MANZHU LI!!

CHANGE OF PLANS.

THE REPORTS SUGGEST A LARGE NUMBER OF JURCHENS HAVE ALREADY INFILTRATED DEEP INTO JOSEON.

THEIR CAMP MUST BE NEARBY, AND THEY WOULD KNOW WE ARE COMING AFTER THE SKIRMISH EARLIER.

MOBILIZE ALL OUR TROOPS. WE MUST LOCATE THEIR BASE TONIGHT...

...AND DESTROY THEM ALL BEFORE THEY CROSS THE RIVER NORTH AT SUNRISE.

THERE IS NO NEED TO CAPTURE THEM ALIVE. KILL THEM ALL ON SIGHT...

...AND BRING ME MANZHU LI'S HEAD.

BUT SIR, THEY ARE MASTERS OF AMBUSH TACTICS.

IF WE MOVE IN HASTE, THEY MIGHT--

WE MUST GET TO THEM THIS INSTANT.

THEY HAVE...

...JINUNG'S HEAD.

HOW WOULD HE NAVIGATE...

...THE AFTERLIFE WITHOUT HIS EYES TO SEE?

YOU HEARD THE GENERAL. WE'VE BEEN ASSIGNED TO A CRITICAL MISSION.

YOU ARE TO LOCATE THEIR BASE WITHIN THE NEXT HOUR.

GWIYEONG, YOU'RE OFF THIS MISSION.

AND I DON’T WANT TO HEAR ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT IT.

I WILL REGROUP THE SEVEN OF YOU...

EXCLUDING GWIYEONG.

HOLD ON.

CHETAMJAS. I HAVE A TASK FOR YOU.

DARN IT!!

HOW HARD COULD IT BE TO KILL ONE MAN?!

AND AM I SUPPOSED TO BELIEVE HE SINGLE-HANDEDLY WIPED OUT THE ENTIRE FIRST SQUAD?

H-HE WAS A MONSTER! THE JOSEON SOLDIERS CALL HIM THE YACHA!

HE OVERPOWERED US, EVEN WHEN WE TRIED TO SURROUND HIM AND ATTACK HIM AT ONCE...

DON'T GIVE ME THAT F***ING NONSENSE! WE GREATLY OUTNUMBERED--

HELLO, COUSIN.

STILL GOT THAT FOUL MOUTH, I SEE.

MANZHU LI

HEAD CHIEFTAIN OF THE JIANZHOU JURCHENS

M-MANZHU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?

I CAME TO SEE HOW MY LITTLE COUSIN IS DOING.

YOU SAID YOU WANTED TO STOP LIVING IN MY SHADOW. HOW HAS THAT BEEN WORKING OUT?

W-WELL...

IT DOESN’T SOUND LIKE THINGS ARE GOING TOO WELL FROM WHAT I HEAR.

N-NO, IT’S GOING GREAT! IT’S JUST THAT WE RAN INTO AN ODD BUNCH OF ENEMIES TODAY!

ODD, YOU SAY?

THERE IS A MONSTER IN THE JOSEON TROOPS.

THEY CALL HIM THE YACHA. HE SINGLE-HANDEDLY WIPED OUT ONE OF OUR SQUADS...

OH...?

...?!

I-IT'S HIM...

IT'S THE YACHA...!

HANG IT SOMEWHERE EVERYONE CAN SEE.

IT WILL HELP BOOST THE TROOP'S MORALE.

BUT HOW...?

THOSE MEN ARE A SPECIAL UNIT FROM JOSEON. IF THEY ARE HERE, THAT MEANS YOUR POSITION WILL SOON BE EXPOSED.

HAVE EVERYONE CROSS THE RIVER BEFORE SUNRISE AND RETURN TO THE MAIN VILLAGE.

N-NO! I PROMISED YOU YEOYEON, AND I'M SO CLOSE TO ACHIEVING THAT GOAL!

YEOYEON WAS ONLY A STEPPING STONE FOR OTHER PLANS. WE CAN TAKE THAT TOWN ANYTIME.

THE JOSEON TROOPS CAN MOVE QUICKLY BECAUSE THE WEATHER IS WARM.

SPARE YOUR MEN AND WAIT FOR THE WINTER TO COME.

MANZHU, I CAN KEEP MY WORD.

GIVE ME A DAY, AND I WILL--

Y-YOU MUST LISTEN TO THE HEAD CHIEFTAIN...

WE CAN ALWAYS CONQUER YEOYEON IN THE WINTER--

WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

OH... MY NAME IS AHAB, CHIEFTAIN.

AHAB... EH?

HOW UNFORTUNATE YOU ARE, AHAB.

WHAT?

YOU ENTERED THE WRONG TENT AND HEARD THINGS YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE HEARD.

THE JOSEON ARMY SEEMS TO HAVE FORMED A GROUP OF SCOUTS.

FROM NOW ON, DON'T LET YOUR SUBORDINATES HEAR ANY VITAL INVASION PLANS.

KEEP THIS IN MIND.

IF SOMEONE MIGHT LEAK INFORMATION, KILL THEM WITHOUT HESITATION.

...?!

WHAT'S THE COMMOTION ABOUT?

THEY FOUND US FASTER THAN I THOUGHT. GET ON YOUR HORSE.

TH-THEY'RE ALREADY HERE.

WE'LL TAKE A HANDFUL OF SKILLED FIGHTERS AND CROSS THE RIVER.

IT'S YUNDEOK CHOI!

HURRY! GET ON YOUR HORSE! IF CHOI IS HERE, WE STAND NO CHANCE.

WE MUST CROSS THE RIVER IMMEDIATELY.

N-NO, COUSIN. I’LL STAY BEHIND...

AND TRY TO HOLD THEM BACK--

SHUT YOUR MOUTH...

...AND GET ON YOUR HORSE.

MOVE!

I'M SORRY, COUSIN...

I TRIED MY BEST, BUT...

THERE'S NO NEED FOR APOLOGIES.

AS LONG AS YOU KEEP YOUR HEAD ON STRAIGHT, YOU'LL ALWAYS HAVE ANOTHER CHANCE.

B-BUT...

I HAVE A TASK FOR YOU.

EVEN IF WE CATCH THEM BY SURPRISE...

...LI WILL GET AWAY BEFORE WE CAN MAKE IT THROUGH THE CAMP.

I WANT THE CHETAMJAS TO STANDBY IN FOUR POSITIONS AROUND THE CAMP IN PAIRS.

IF MANZHU GETS AWAY, THE NEAREST PAIR WILL IMMEDIATELY START TRACKING HIM DOWN.

THE TEST IS OVER AS OF THIS MOMENT.

YOU ARE NOW OFFICIALLY CHETAMJAS.

HERE ARE THE PAIRS.

JANG KIM AND DUMOK.

YUJEONG AND GWIYEONG.

CHANGRYONG AND...

WOW... I CAN'T BELIEVE HE CAUGHT THAT...

A ROCK?

I'VE SEEN PEOPLE DODGE MY ROCKS BEFORE, BUT I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYONE CATCH ONE...

OH WELL. THAT EXPLAINS WHY HE'S THEIR CHIEFTAIN.

CHANGRYONG CHETAMJA SQUAD TWO

YOU SEEM TO KNOW AN ANNOYING LITTLE TRICK.

I'VE GOT MORE TRICKS IF YOU'RE INTERESTED.

...?!

THIS TIME...

...I GOT THE RIGHT ONE.

YOU SON OF A B****.